Google has sent the $100 million it agreed to pay Canadian news outlets in exchange for an exemption from the Online News Act to a journalism organization designed to disperse the funds.
The U.S. tech company confirmed it has transferred the money to the Canadian Journalism Collective, a federally incorporated non-profit organization led by independent publishers and broadcasters.
The collective said in mid-December that it was working to distribute the first portion of funds by the end of January to media businesses whose work was shared or repurposed by Google.
The collective is a federally incorporated non-profit organization that was created for this purpose. It was founded in May by a group of independent publishers and broadcasters.
The steering committee is made up of 12 independent media outlets that represent French language outlets, community and Indigenous news and publications that specifically represent Black and minority Canadians.
Google and the federal government have reached an agreement in their dispute over the Online News Act. The $100 million deal comes three weeks before Bill C-18 is set to come into effect. Google originally threatened to follow in the footsteps of Meta, which blocked news content on Facebook and Instagram in response to the legislation. Power & Politics speaks to Canada’s minister of heritage.
Publishers, broadcasters to receive different amounts
Some of the organizations include Pivot, The Resolve, IndigiNews, Village Media and the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations.
It estimated eligible publishers will receive about $13,798 per full-time equivalent journalist it employs based on a 2,000-hour year. Broadcasters will receive about $6,806 per eligible worker.
Small print and digital outlets can expect to receive about $17,000 per journalist that they employ, an official with the Canadian Heritage Department has said.
The Liberal government has put a cap on how much money the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and other broadcasters can get.
CBC/Radio-Canada will get no more than a $7 million share of the annual fund, and $30 million at most will be reserved for other broadcasters.
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The other $63 million will be shared among other qualifying news outlets, such as newspapers and digital platforms.
The collective did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google agreed to pay the money in 2023 to exempt it from the Online News Act, which compelled the company and Meta to pay for their use of journalism.
Meta has avoided having to make any payments by blocking access to Canadian news on its platforms.
